Croatia were prepared to forgive Milan striker Nikola Kalinic if he apologised, but he seems to have burned his bridges with the side.
The forward was sent home from the 2018 World Cup after refusing to come off the bench for the final minutes of their 2-0 win over Nigeria.
He said it was due to a bad back, but Coach and players maintain he simply didn’t want to take part as a late substitute.
Croatia were prepared to forgive Milan striker Nikola Kalinic if he apologised, but he seems to have burned his bridges with the side.
The forward was sent home from the 2018 World Cup after refusing to come off the bench for the final minutes of their 2-0 win over Nigeria.
He said it was due to a bad back, but Coach and players maintain he simply didn’t want to take part as a late substitute.
According to Croatian site Bljesak, the team was ready to forgive Kalinic and move on, which is why the story did not emerge immediately.
However, when Kalinic refused to apologise for his actions, star players Luka Modric and Verlan Corluka turned on him.
The feeling spread and when Kalinic sent a message to their team Whatsapp group wishing them all the best for the tournament, hardly anyone replied.